Recalling the 80-Year History of the Airmen Club

Rigged air race and power-broker moves were among Cincinnati social circle’s exploits.

Martha Lunken

Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

The Greater Cincinnati Airmen Club was basically open to anyone for a $20 yearly membership, and the group sponsored all sorts of activities, including Sunday afternoon cocktail parties. [Credit: Martha Lunken]

Key Takeaways:

The Greater Cincinnati Airmen Club served as a vibrant social and activity hub for pilots for over 80 years, hosting events like air races, social gatherings, and fostering camaraderie.
The author, introduced to the club through a famously controversial air race win, later became deeply involved, organizing FAA safety seminars and advocating for broader pilot representation at airport user meetings.
Ultimately, the club closed with the terminal building, leaving a lasting legacy of cherished memories and friendships among its members.

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My introduction to the Greater Cincinnati Airmen Club was when I signed on for an air race it sponsored in 1964 or so. My sister Mary and I were flying the Ercoupe we’d bought, much to the relief of the archbishop whose two priests had loaned their secret airplane to us.

As in all original Ercoupes, N341 had two wing tanks that fed into a header tank in the nose. Fuel was selected either on or off, the quantity indicated by a wire with a cork floating in that header tank in front of the pilots, much like a J-3 Cub. When the cork began to sink (unless it was old and saturated) there should have been 5 gallons—about an hour’s worth of fuel left.